Space in His Heart (21 page)

He stared at
her.

“You’ll get big
royalties,” she added weakly.

“A poster? Like
Farrah Fawcett?”

“You’re showing
your age, Stockard. But, yeah. You could be up on dorm-room walls
all over America.”

“Good God. A
poster.” He shook his head and dropped the pepper on a paper plate.
“What the hell is next?”

She took a
delicate bite of a calamata olive. “The action figure.”

He froze and
closed his eyes. In a moment he opened them, and a slow, maddening
grin spread across his face.

“Why is this
man smiling?” she asked.

“
I’m just
imagining how you’ll pay for this
.
”
H
e
leaned over the table, his lips just inches from her face. “You
will pay dearly, Jessica Marlowe. I promise you that.”

An intoxicating
thrill shot through her body with her own mental images of just how
delicious his torture could be.

* * *

Lulled by the
waves, the fresh air and the easy conversation, Jessica lazily
watched Deke loosen the jib to take them back up the river.

He studied the
western sky with a skeptical expression and glanced back at her, a
tinge of regret in his eyes. “I’d like to stay anchored a little
longer, but we’re going to get the inevitable storm.” He twisted a
line and shrugged. “At least the wind’s behind us, so we won’t need
to tack.”

“Is that good?”
she asked.

“
It means
I can settle into this comfortable seat.” He sat down and reached
his hands under her arms, gently tugging her back
,
right
against
his chest. “With
you.”

She hissed in a
quiet breath as his hands brushed the sides of her breasts and he
positioned her into the curve of his body. She stiffened as her
backside came in contact with his jeans and his fingers eased her
head back on his chest. She’d somehow fallen right into the most
incredible place, the valley between his long, powerful legs.

She tried
to exhale. “Relax, sweetheart.” His lips pressed the top of her
head so that all she could do was enjoy the sensations that rolled
over her as the wind and his skilled hand on the
helm
carried them north, while his
free hand tunneled and tangled in her hair.

They arrived at
his dock at the same time as the rain. “Go on in, you’re gonna get
soaked,” he told her as they motored up to the mooring.

“I don’t melt,
Deke. I’ll help you. I’m sure there’s a lot to do.” The rain was
light, still no more than a fine mist, so she pulled her sweater on
and followed his direction after they tied up to the dock. They
lowered and stowed the sails and secured the dock lines. Just as
they finished, the sky opened to a downpour and the first flash of
lightning made him jump onto the dock and reach for her.

“Enough,
Gilligan. Time to get inside. I’ll get the cooler later.”

A loud clap of
thunder shook the air. He put his arm around her and they ran
toward the house. They reached the covered porch just as a bolt of
lightning and simultaneous thunder exploded, and she instinctively
grabbed him and gasped.

He
squeezed her tighter, then stroked her soaking curls and wet
cheeks. She knew he was waiting for her to look up. When she did,
their kiss was nearly immediate and completely mutual. As
their bodies
pressed
against
each other
, they
explored each other’s mouths hungrily. He steadied her with one arm
and wrapped his other hand in her hair.

“Come inside,”
he whispered.

She knew she
had to walk but wasn’t sure her legs could carry her. Keeping an
arm around her, he flipped a key in the lock of the sliding glass
door and guided her into his house.

Once there, he
returned to the kiss as they moved, connected, lips and tongues
intertwined, toward the sofa in the living room. She couldn’t go
there. Horizontal would be deadly. But the thrilling burn that
started in her stomach and sizzled down her thighs took over all
common sense. Fighting it and every force of nature in her being,
Jessica pulled back to look at him.

His eyes
mirrored the sparks that burst through her. He bent his head down
to the curve of her neck and kissed her skin, flicking his tongue
over her collarbone, moaning softly and moving his hands lower to
her waist, her hips, her backside. He pulled her closer and she
almost bit his lip at the pressure of him, hard and straining
through his jeans.

Warm fingers
crept under her sweater and over her cottony tee shirt, seeking the
hard tip of her breast. His thumb circled it, shocking her straight
down to the aching, feminine tingle between her legs.

She couldn’t
stop. Control rolled away with each wave of arousal.

Reeling, dizzy,
she pushed herself closer to him, and without breaking their kiss,
he tugged her onto the cushiony leather sofa. On top of him, her
body magically molded to his as Jessica let a primal force of
nature and desire take control of her. Her hips kept rhythm with
his as she heard herself moan, amazed that he could do this to her.
It was magic. It was a spell. It was the risk he kept warning her
about and all she wanted was… Deke.

His
breath was hot on her neck, his hands starting to tug her tee
shirt
up.
Her clothes
were about to come off. This was it. No turning back. Something
jarred her back to reality.

“Deke,
please.”

He kissed her
neck, his lips and tongue dropping further, nearly touching her
breasts. “Please what?”

“Please
stop.”

Working his
mouth slowly back up her neck, he teased her with his tongue and
then nipped her lips before melting into another kiss, slow and
deep and warm. Then she could feel his breath as he finally spoke.
“Not the please I was hoping for, sweetheart.”

Jess
closed her eyes, wanting only to press harder against him and give
in
to the breathtaking
urge to touch him everywhere
:
his handsome face, his powerful chest, the sexy, masculine
bulge of his jeans.

“Deke, I can’t
do this.” Her words came in gasping breaths, cut off by the
pounding of her heart.

“Yes, you can.”
He chuckled in her ear. “In fact, you are.”

She wanted to
argue, wanted to agree, wanted to just shut up and lose herself in
his body and his kisses, but she didn’t. Somehow, she found the
strength to pull away. “No. I can’t do this.”

“You can’t or
you won’t? Big difference.” Slowly, he removed his hands from under
her sweater and lifted her to a less threatening angle, allowing
her to sit up a bit. He inched his way up to sit next to her.

“I won’t.” She
tried to convey a commitment she wasn’t sure she believed.

Lifting a
strand of her damp curls, he let his fingers play on her face while
the arousal subsided. Still, his breathing stayed heavy and slow,
his eyes dark with arousal.

He finally
sighed deeply. “I’ll be honest with you, Jess. I don’t think about
a whole lot else when I’m around you lately.”

A smile played
on her lips. “Yeah. Me too.”

“Really?” He
widened his eyes in a hopeful, boyish look. “That’s
encouraging.”

“Please don’t
be encouraged.” She had to be honest. “You’re a client.”

The sound of
his heartfelt laughter surprised her. “You can do better than that,
spin doctor.”

“You may think
it’s a funny and flimsy excuse, but for a man who practically wears
his code of ethics on his sleeve, you ought to understand.”

“
I do
understand,” he said softly, still smiling. “But we’re alone. No
hidden cameras. No audience.” He
gave her a teasing look.
“Although with you, one can
never be completely sure.”

She glared at
him. “Not funny. I do have a very real job with very real rules in
Boston.” And no future with an astronaut in Florida, she thought
silently, knowing the words would sound clingy and silly. She stood
and walked to the sliding glass doors to gauge the length of the
rainstorm. She needed to go home.

“Anyway,” she
said, studying the clouds. “I don’t take this—this situation as
lightly as you probably do.”

He was behind
her in one second. He spun her around and she saw the fire in his
eyes. “You’ve got me all wrong. I don’t do this either unless it
feels completely right. This does.”

“I don’t know
what you mean by completely right.”

“Come on. We’ve
been starving for this since the minute we saw each other.”

She started to
shake her head, but he put a finger on her lips.

“Don’t you dare
deny it. This has been coming from the beginning. Since before I
even knew you had me in mind for this PR garbage. Hell, I was
undressing you in your first presentation.”

“That’s just
lust,” she whispered.

“You want
love?” he countered, his eyes narrowed in warning.

“Of course
not.” Lightning flashed in the window, jarring her. “I just don’t
want to do anything stupid. There are people who would like nothing
more than for me to fall into bed with you.”

“I know. I’m
one of them.” He reached up and rubbed his thumb along her cheek.
“But not for a price you’re not willing to pay.”

“My career
would be an awfully high price.”

“I know all
about regulations. I live with them and I respect them. But
sometimes…” His finger reached her lips. “You gotta break the
rules.”

At that moment,
Jessica wanted to break every rule she ever followed. A throbbing
ache moved from her most feminine core right to her heart.

“I’m sorry,
Deke. Risk scares me too much.”

He leaned
forward to gently kiss her lips. The temptation to open her mouth
and take the kiss right back to where they were weakened her down
to her toes.

“The rain is
slowing,” she whispered.

He reached his
arms around her back and pulled her close enough to feel his heart.
“Don’t go home yet.”

“I have to.
I’ll just take the path. I run it every morning.”

“
I
know
.
”
H
e smiled. “I try never to miss
you jogging by.”

She
laughed, surprised at the revelation, relieved that some of the
tension had faded, if only for a moment. “I’ll see you on December
thirtieth. Remember? You have a date with a movie star, poster boy.
I
’ll
be there to
supervise your every move.”

“And drag me in
front of every reporter.”

“That, too.”
She pulled back an inch and gave him a dubious look. “You do own a
tuxedo, don’t you?”

“What, no space
suit?”

She exhaled a
laugh as he took her face in his hands and kissed her lightly on
the lips. “Come on, sweetheart, I’ll walk you home.”

They said
almost nothing, dodging raindrops and low
-
hanging branches on the way to her house. At her
patio, he reached down for one last long, wistful kiss.

“Merry Christmas, Jess,”
he whispered. “
Have fun in
Boston.
”

She didn’t
respond but tried to remember why on earth she was going back
there.

Chapter
Sixteen

“Do you like
it?” Before Jessica could see the woman asking the question, she
heard the sultry lilt of her voice and caught a whiff of Carla’s
ultra-hip unisex perfume. “I got so sick of all that dark stuff. No
one has cherry wood anymore.”

No, no one at
Kennedy Space Center did, that was for sure. Jessica looked around
the office that had been vacant when she left. Carla had wasted no
time establishing her territory and making sure it had the most
commanding view in all of R&C Boston.

With a
rueful smile, Jessica envisioned the chipped Formica and dented
supply cabinet
in the office
she’d called home for the last six weeks. “It’s
beautiful.”

Carla’s
thin face squished into what she must have thought was a girlish,
innocent expression. “You’re not upset, are you? I
mean, it
wasn’t your office and I
just
hated to see all this gorgeous space wasted.”

“
Of
course I’m not upset
.” A little jealous and a lot disgusted,
but not upset. “
I’m sure you
fit everything nicely into the overhead budget for the
year.”

“
As if
those ogres in finance would let me spend a dime we didn’t have.”
Carla laughed, pulling Jessica further into the office. “Anyway,
we’re making oodles on Dash. That account’s profits will be
sky
-
high at year-end. At
least forty percent over our projections.”

Over
Jessica’s
projections. The dig wasn’t lost. Oh, Miss California was
good. She was very, very good.

Carla dropped
onto a creamy leather sofa and patted the seat next to her. “Come
on, girlfriend. Spill the beans. I want to know absolutely
everything about that sex god you’ve got your hands on in
Florida.”

Jessica
took the seat across from her, setting her Palm Pilot gently on the
glass coffee table. “Sorry to ruin your fantasies, but we’re barely
friends, let alone lovers.”
That’s why she said no to Deke:
so she could look Carla in the eye and not lie.
“I’m still waiting for a copy of the Dash
marketing plan.”

Carla’s eyes
narrowed. “You are not letting that archaic R&C fraternization
rule keep you from jumping that man’s bones, are you?”

“No, I’m not,”
Jessica said quietly. “I’m letting my own basic morals guide my
actions and the fact that I am not even slightly attracted to a man
who also happens to be my client. Does Rita have a copy of the plan
in her files?”